Sat, 27 Oct 2018, 20:03 PM Top Alcohol Dragster Round 1 Eliminations

By Dave Rowe

LAS VEGAS - Results of round 1 eliminations in Top Alcohol Dragster at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 18th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals:

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  765 Duane Shields                         748 Cameron Ferre                
E1   ****WINNER****  0.105  5.304 272.67                     0.046  9.727  90.07
 Qualified:             #2  5.203 276.58                       #15  5.445 254.33

4:33 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 85 degrees, relative humidity 19 percent, barometer 27.87 inches, adjusted altitude 4,502 feet, track temperature 102 degrees.

Ferre gets out of the gate first but Shields goes around him before they reach the sixty foot mark. Shields starts to pull away, Ferre has problems and is off the throttle early.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   17 Dan Mercier                             1 Joey Severance               
E1                   0.066  5.381 272.83     ****WINNER****  0.028  5.294 273.05
 Qualified:            #14  5.386 264.23                        #3  5.245 275.06

Severance gets the advantage off the line and starts to pull away. Mercier makes his quickest pass of the weekend but was falling behind all the way through the run.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
  530 Alan Bradshaw                        8002 Julie Nataas                 
E1                   0.058  5.669 253.71     ****WINNER****  0.138  5.423 270.05
 Qualified:            #13  5.385 267.32                        #4  5.270 272.56

Bradshaw gets out of the gate first but has a cylinder out. Nataas is able to reel him in a little before half track and go around for the win.

Julie Nataas' incremental margins (negative if behind): 60ft(-0.082), 330 ft(-0.002), 660ft(0.054), 1,000ft(0.115). MOV: 0.1663 seconds (approximately 62 feet).

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 7610 Derik Milanesio                      4824 Shane Conway                 
E1                   0.055  5.357 263.26     ****WINNER****  0.048  5.350 265.80
 Qualified:             #6  5.288 274.11                       #11  5.366 264.44

Conway gets the advantage off the line, Milanesio makes up a little ground early, then Conway starts pulling away for good and takes the win.

Severance will have lane choice over Conway in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
   52 James Stevens                         611 Garrett Bateman              
E1                  -0.026  5.862 205.60     ****WINNER****  0.083  5.369 270.75
 Qualified:             #7  5.297 272.78                       #10  5.366 270.00

Stevens and Bateman have each won 1 times against the other in prior events.

Stevens leaves too soon and goes red. He makes a move to the right, then back to the left, then wisely backs off the throttle. Bateman goes right down the groove with a good pass for the win.

Shields will have lane choice over Bateman in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
 5165 Todd Bruce                              5 Jackie Fricke                
E1                  -0.084  5.327 273.66     ****WINNER****  0.049  5.277 266.42
 Qualified:             #9  5.327 273.61                        #8  5.305 265.74

Bruce leaves too soon and goes red. Fricke goes right down the groove with her quickest pass of the weekend to take the win.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    6 Chris Demke                           888 Fred Hanssen                 
E1                   0.032 10.401  76.87     ****WINNER****  0.035  5.374 269.83
 Qualified:             #5  5.273 275.67                       #12  5.383 270.70

Hanssen is 1 - 0 against Demke in prior events.

Demke leaves the line, gets about sixty feet out and loses traction. He pedals, makes a move to the right, then the left, then he backs off the throttle. Hanssen goes right down the groove with a good pass to take the win.

Hanssen will have lane choice over Nataas in the next round.

 Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT-----ET---Speed-----Car#-Driver(Opp'nt)-RT----ET---Speed
    2 Shawn Cowie                          725K Krista Baldwin               
E1   ****WINNER****  0.098  5.225 275.79                     0.141  5.492 256.94
 Qualified:             #1  5.196 277.94                       #16  5.475 252.33

Cowie is 3 - 0 against Baldwin in prior events.

Cowie gets the holeshot and extends his lead all the way through the run. Baldwin makes a decent pass but was falling behind all the way through the run.

Shawn Cowie's incremental margins: 60ft(0.061), 330 ft(0.152), 660ft(0.204), 1,000ft(0.255). MOV: 0.3104 seconds (more than 100 feet).

Cowie will have lane choice over Fricke in the next round.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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